scholarly journals Development of a human neuromuscular tissue-on-a-chip model on a 24-well-plate-format compartmentalized microfluidic device

Lab on a Chip ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuki Yamamoto ◽  
Nao Yamaoka ◽  
Yu Imaizumi ◽  
Takunori Nagashima ◽  
Taiki Furutani ◽  
...  

A three-dimensional human neuromuscular tissue model that mimics the physically separated structures of motor neurons and skeletal muscle fibers is presented.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohsen Afshar Bakooshli ◽  
Ethan S Lippmann ◽  
Ben Mulcahy ◽  
Nisha R Iyer ◽  
Christine T Nguyen ◽  
...  

SummaryTwo-dimensional (2D) human skeletal muscle fiber cultures are ill equipped to support the contractile properties of maturing muscle fibers. This limits their application to the study of adult human neuromuscular junction (NMJ) development, a process requiring maturation of muscle fibers in the presence of motor neuron endplates. Here we describe a three-dimensional (3D) co-culture method whereby human muscle progenitors mixed with human pluripotent stem cell-derived motor neurons self-organize to form functional NMJ connections within two weeks. Functional connectivity between motor neuron endplates and muscle fibers is confirmed with calcium transient imaging and electrophysiological recordings. Notably, we only observed epsilon acetylcholine receptor subunit protein upregulation and activity in 3D co-culture. This demonstrates that the 3D co-culture system supports a developmental shift from the embryonic to adult form of the receptor that does not occur in 2D co-culture. Further, 3D co-culture treatments with myasthenia gravis patient sera shows the ease of studying human disease with the system. This work delivers a simple, reproducible, and adaptable method to model and evaluate adult human NMJ de novo development and disease in culture.


1974 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 432-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Valdiosera ◽  
C. Clausen ◽  
R. S. Eisenberg

The relation between the fine structure, electric field equations, and electric circuit models of skeletal muscle fibers is discussed. Experimental evidence illustrates the profound variation of potential with circumferential position, even at low frequencies (100 Hz). Since one-dimensional cable theory cannot account for such variation, three-dimensional cable theory must be used. Several circuit models of a sarcomere are presented and plots are made of the predicted phase angle between sinusoidal applied current and potential. The circuit models are described by equations involving normalized variables, since they affect the phase plot in a relatively simple way. A method is presented for estimating the values of the circuit elements and the standard deviation of the estimates. The reliability of the estimates is discussed. An objective measure of fit, Hamilton's R test, is used to test the significance of different fits to data. Finally, it is concluded that none of the proposed circuit models provides an adequate description of the observed variation of phase angle with circumferential location. It is not clear whether the source of disagreement is inadequate measurements or inadequate theory.


Author(s):  
I. Taylor ◽  
P. Ingram ◽  
J.R. Sommer

In studying quick-frozen single intact skeletal muscle fibers for structural and microchemical alterations that occur milliseconds, and fractions thereof, after electrical stimulation, we have developed a method to compare, directly, ice crystal formation in freeze-substituted thin sections adjacent to all, and beneath the last, freeze-dried cryosections. We have observed images in the cryosections that to our knowledge have not been published heretofore (Figs.1-4). The main features are that isolated, sometimes large regions of the sections appear hazy and have much less contrast than adjacent regions. Sometimes within the hazy regions there are smaller areas that appear crinkled and have much more contrast. We have also observed that while the hazy areas remain still, the regions of higher contrast visibly contract in the beam, often causing tears in the sections that are clearly not caused by ice crystals (Fig.3, arrows).


Author(s):  
Leonardo Hernández

The influence of Ca2+ and other divalent cations on contractile responses of slow skeletal muscle fibers of the frog (Rana pipiens) under conditions of chronic denervation was investigated.Isometric tension was recorded from slow bundles of normal and denervated cruralis muscle in normal solution and in solutions with free calcium concentration solution or in solutions where other divalent cations (Sr2+, Ni2+, Co2+ or Mn2+) substituted for calcium. In the second week after nerve section, in Ca2+-free solutions, we observed that contractures (evoked from 40 to 80 mM-K+) of non-denervated muscles showed significantly higher tensions (p<0.05), than those from denervated bundles. Likewise, in solutions where calcium was substituted by all divalent cations tested, with exception of Mn2+, the denervated bundles displayed lower tension than non-denervated, also in the second week of denervation. In this case, the Ca2+ substitution by Sr2+ caused the higher decrease in tension, followed by Co2+ and Ni2+, which were different to non-denervated bundles, as the lowest tension was developed by Mn2+, followed by Co2+, and then Ni2+ and Sr2+. After the third week, we observed a recovery in tension. These results suggest that denervation altering the binding capacity to divalent cations of the voltage sensor.


2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 557-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kittichate Visuttijai ◽  
Carola Hedberg-Oldfors ◽  
Christer Thomsen ◽  
Emma Glamuzina ◽  
Cornelia Kornblum ◽  
...  

Abstract Context Glycogenin is considered to be an essential primer for glycogen biosynthesis. Nevertheless, patients with glycogenin-1 deficiency due to biallelic GYG1 (NM_004130.3) mutations can store glycogen in muscle. Glycogenin-2 has been suggested as an alternative primer for glycogen synthesis in patients with glycogenin-1 deficiency. Objective The objective of this article is to investigate the importance of glycogenin-1 and glycogenin-2 for glycogen synthesis in skeletal and cardiac muscle. Design, Setting, and Patients Glycogenin-1 and glycogenin-2 expression was analyzed by Western blot, mass spectrometry, and immunohistochemistry in liver, heart, and skeletal muscle from controls and in skeletal and cardiac muscle from patients with glycogenin-1 deficiency. Results Glycogenin-1 and glycogenin-2 both were found to be expressed in the liver, but only glycogenin-1 was identified in heart and skeletal muscle from controls. In patients with truncating GYG1 mutations, neither glycogenin-1 nor glycogenin-2 was expressed in skeletal muscle. However, nonfunctional glycogenin-1 but not glycogenin-2 was identified in cardiac muscle from patients with cardiomyopathy due to GYG1 missense mutations. By immunohistochemistry, the mutated glycogenin-1 colocalized with the storage of glycogen and polyglucosan in cardiomyocytes. Conclusions Glycogen can be synthesized in the absence of glycogenin, and glycogenin-1 deficiency is not compensated for by upregulation of functional glycogenin-2. Absence of glycogenin-1 leads to the focal accumulation of glycogen and polyglucosan in skeletal muscle fibers. Expression of mutated glycogenin-1 in the heart is deleterious, and it leads to storage of abnormal glycogen and cardiomyopathy.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document